


Don't Lag

by TofuTurtleHime2468



Category: NU'EST
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Eventual Romance, Friendship, M/M, cross-posted on asianfanfics, it's going to be pretty slow in development for romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2018-11-16 00:29:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11242509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TofuTurtleHime2468/pseuds/TofuTurtleHime2468
Summary: If there was one thing that humans had in common, it was that they never want to be the ones that are left behind.As he laid in the music room that was no longer his secret and safe heaven, the last thing (or person as he would have to admit indignantly) that Minhyun wanted to see was that androgynous blond boy who had zero interest in anything staring at him as he laid there with fresh bruises.It didn't matter if they were against him, Jonghyun would always protect him as much as possible- that was, until that blond kid began to think that they were now friends or something as he now pesters him.After spending years by himself, Baekho was use to that loneliness when that blond boy stayed quietly behind during his practices that he would've preferred to be alone for.Although he had just transferred, Aron understood that he was safe as long as he tried to blend in with the crowd unlike that boy who stood out with his blond hair and bright neon pink accessories.And as for Ren... well, who knows.





	1. Safe Haven

**Author's Note:**

> Welp I've been absolutely dying to write about Nu'est because yeah they're amazing (and hwaiting for them being in Produce 101! I hope for the best results for them possible whether it be being a part of the final 11 or simply gaining recognition from the show even if no one makes it! Do your best you dorks! >.<) and Minren is sweet... yeah... (btw, why are there so many stories where Minhyun is the bully and/or playboy and Ren is always the victim??? These seem to be very popular character archetypes for them for some reason ._. (don't get me wrong because those stories are pretty good and well-written, but it is an obvious reoccurring theme for this pairing))
> 
> So anyways yes this is basically based off of Face (like it will be pretty obvious throughtout the story) (and because of that Seventeen are the antagonists which I really don't wanna do but it fits in with the story and stuff like that T^T), the main pairing is Minren (and yes JRen is rivalling), it will mainly be Ren-centric in a sense, it will be serious most of the time, and we will see from everyone's POV but mainly Minhyun's.

By the time he was heading down the stairs after leaving the music room, he was suddenly pushed at the last step, making him not so gracefully fall onto the ground and his folder falling to the ground and splattering the sheets of music in the folder.

"Oops,  _sorry_ ," came that taunting voice as there was a sudden kick to his back before simultaneous snickers happened as they made sure to step on and kick around his already tattered folder and papers.

He had to grit his teeth in frustration as he waited for the noises to stop before pushing himself up, lifting up his palms to see that there were various scratches to them. Another sigh leaves as to calm himself before he gets up to kneel and pick up his papers full of hard work.

He stops to look up when a shadow looms over him and he sees that androgynous boy with that bright platinum blond hair that made him stick out along with that white headphones with neon pink details that were blasting music into his ears loud enough to be heard from afar with a lollipop stick sticking out of his lips as he stares down at him.

"What do _you_ want?" he hissed only because he wasn't in the mood and he knew that the boy couldn't hear him anyways.

The androgynous boy blinks with that bored mood written all over his face before shuffling for something in his pocket before dropping a traditionnel bonbon wrapped in a vibrant pink wrapper onto his folder from those hands with nails that were painted black with some having neon pink patterns. He walks around the boy and continues ahead to who knows where.

He stares at the traditionnel bonbon before mumbling, "Weirdo..." as usual since the androgynous boy always seemed to have the timing to see the aftermath of his usual beatings and to drop some sort of candy for him.

He glared at the little dessert before begrudgingly grabbing it and shoving it into the pocket of his trousers before heading for the doors.

This was Minhyun's so-called life.


	2. You

_"Do you promise to keep this a secret?"_

_Barely above a whisper._

_"Of course I'll keep it a secret."_

_Nonchalant tone._

_"Promise promise?"_

_Urgent tone._

_"Yes I promise promise."_

_Rolling eyes._

_"Promise until the day you die?"_

_More pressing tone._

_"How many times do I have to say yes?"_

_Breathless laugh._

_"Because this secret is really important to me!"_

_Serious tone._

_"Okay, I promise 'til the day I die that your secret will remain behind my closed mouth."_

_Serious tone._

_"Well, here goes nothing... I-"_

* * *

He slapped his phone off of his nightstand before waking up, more grumpy than usual. He takes in a deep, shaky breath, his heart beating too quickly as it felt like his lungs were getting crushed by some random invisible force out there.

He hated it.

He glances over to his phone that was lying face down onto the floor and still vibrating with a persistent ringing noise coming from it, a sigh leaving his mouth as he throws his blanket off before walking over to pick up his phone. As expected, there was a new crack engraved deep into the screen, distorting the image even further with all over the other cracks and scratches that came from various reasons.

Nonchalantly, he throws his phone onto his bed after turning the alarm off before heading to get himself ready for the day. When he puts on his uniform's blazer as the finishing touch after shoving his phone into the pocket of his trousers, he felt a foreign object, making him reach further into his pocket before pulling out a familiar vibrant pink-wrapped traditionnel bonbon.

Oh.

He tosses the traditionnel bonbon onto his desk where other forms of candy wrapped in obnoxiously bright wrappers were laying half-hazardly on. He heads downstairs and spots a yellow sticky note on the fridge.

Sorry Minhyun, we had to leave early again for a business trip so umma couldn't prepare any food for you... I hope you don't mind preparing your own food again for two weeks...  
~ With lots of love, umma and appa

Minhyun lets out yet another sigh as he takes the sticky note and crumples it before tossing it into the trash. He didn't want to bother with trying to fix a meal what with his appetite already being nonexistent for too many years now and was forced to head back upstairs before grabbing a few traditionnel bobons from his desk, plopping one into his mouth before shoving the rest into his pocket.

Minhyun stares at the vibrant pink wrapper before indifferently crumpling it up and shoving it into his pocket before finally choosing to head to the hell-hole.

He gave up on wondering why that boy even does this after it became as much as a routine as his beatings.

* * *

By the time that Minhyun reaches the gate of the school, he sees that a fight had already broke out with the teachers uselessly trying to break up the fight. He could catch small peaks from the crowd of the usual duo fighting.

 _Stupid nicknames like 'S-something' and 'Junior-something'..._ he rolls his eyes before beginning to head for the building as he now had the advantage of avoiding the main bully in his life. He's suddenly shoved into the side of the locker as laughing grows more distant.

Well, he did say _main_ bully, not all of his bullies.

Minhyun lets out a small hiss as his arm now ached from the impact along with the side of his head. He knew that it would leave more bruises on him but he had to get to class to continue this stupid life of his.

And as expected, the day went on bitterly.

Vulgar words carved into his desk.

Shoving and beatings.

Deragatory terms and teasings.

The usual.

The only thing that he would ever be greatly in such a crappy school would be his safe haven; yes, his and no one else's. That was the abandoned music room where the lack of funding for the charter school meant for boys couldn't maintain a salary for a music program along with consistent pay for the previous music teacher. No one bothered to go into it since it was essentially forgotten to the school's history except- obviously- Minhyun. This was the place where he could have peace to himself and not need to bother with anyone else and their judging.

He could just be himself.

Maybe he would've smiled at such a thought if the smile hadn't been beaten out of him two years ago.

He opened the door and was shocked for once to see those people in his haven, completely forgetting about the basketball and the broken window. Minhyun lacked the reflex to close the door as the main reason why he suffered came stalking over with a fresh bruise on his cheek but a cocky smirk on his lips.

"Well well well, look who came," he smirked before grabbing Minhyun's collar.

He hated how his gaze drifted to that person in the back who stared at him emotionessly.

"Hey, look at me when I'm talking."

He couldn't help but let his gaze drift back to him after a roll of the eyes.

"So this is where you've been hiding out. Should've figured that out sooner considering that you're  _that_ kinda person."

If Minhyun didn't meet gazes with the person who stabbed him in the back two years ago, maybe he wouldn't have had the audacity to spit in his face.

* * *

_"Why are you crying?"_

_Concerned tone._

_"B-B-Because my dog..."_

_Sobbing._

_"Oh... h-hey, how about we give him a funeral?"_

_Suggestion._

_"Y-You'd help...?"_

_Helpless tone._

_"Yeah! We can bury him in my backyard. My mom plants a lot of flowers so we can give as many as you want."_

_Affirmative tone._

_"O-Okay..."_

_Sniffle._

_Warm hands._

* * *

A broken cough was forced out of him as something dribbled down his cheek from his lips. The taste of iron had grown dull to his tastebuds by now so he was barely able to realize that it was the taste of blood and that there was a cut somewhere on the inside of his cheek. Although his gaze was somewhat blurry, he could finally see that he was curled up on the cold ground with too many bruises that numbed his body in too many areas.

Minhyun barely had the strength to try to look up when he heard the music that was blasting but somewhat muffled and saw that blond boy crouched down and looking dully at him with a lollipop in his mouth.

He was too weak to bite out a remark before he heard a new voice.

"Why don't you end your suffering?"


	3. Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minhyun looks so tired and depressed of everything already by episode 2 ;-; poor baby...

Minhyun could only spitefully glare at the androgynous boy who held that same non-existent expression. He could barely hoarsely speak, "No... thank you..." before coughing slgihtly. Those weren't the first words that he expected out of someone like him.

"Why? It would be so much easier."

He barely passes a look, "I just... didn't, okay...?! Now leave me... alone!"

"Are you sure? You look like you're in a lot of pain," so was that same emotionless voice that contradicted with his sentence.

"I'...m not..." he hated how his voice was so hoarse.

There was that same dull look as the androgynous boy reaches over and pokes Minhyun in the abdomen, somehow sending a sharp wave of pain throughout his body and making the latter flinch with a pained grunt as he tries to back away but his back ends up running into the legs of the piano that were now too sharp for his bruised back to handle nonchalantly, accidentally letting out a yelp of pain. He hated how there was a moment of silence and it now felt like the androgynous boy was looking at him rather smugly now even though his expression was still unfazed.

"I can help you if you listen to everything I say," he said.

Minhyun had to contemplate as he continued to lay of the ground before letting out a sigh knowing that he won't be able to move without depending on someone, "Fine."

* * *

"Aisht all you boys ever know is how to fight it out," the nurse complained as he wrapped up the last of Minhyun's injuries. The adult sighed before getting up, "Anyways, I need to head home now so Ren, I'm trusting you to close up properly for me."

The androgynous boy- now confirmed as Ren- mock-saluted before the door closed, leaving the two boys by themselves.

"... Why."

Ren glances over to him with that same expression, irking him even more as he rephrased his question, "Why now out of all the times possible?"

"I was bored," so was Ren's blunt answer.

"Of course you were," Minhyun huffed, blowing upwards to move a stray strand of hair that was poking against his eye, "What with that dull face of your's of course you would be bored watching violence out of all the things possibl-"

The blond sent a quick and light jab to his abdomen when even though he was bandaged it still sent a wave of agonizing pain as he grunts and curls up defensively. Minhyun could only glare at the boy who still didn't even bother to look his way.

"I was bored watching you get beat up. Grow some guts," maybe there was suppose to be some sort of tone where it sounded like he spat that out but Ren's tone was as indifferent as always.

"Funny coming from the guy who can get mistaken as a girl," Minhyun retorted but quickly curled up again when he saw that finger about to send a jab again.

"At least I have the nerve of standing out."

He glares at Ren for such a statement, slowly asking, "And what is that suppose to mean?"

"It means that you get picked on because you lack the pride- and defense- to actually be you and that's why Seungcheol and his lackies are using you as their target. You lack the ability to actually stand up for yourself," Ren stated it as though it was the most simple logic ever.

Before Minhyun could make a bitter remark himself, Ren turns slightly and his narrowing eyes only showed a bit of emotion but enough to actually make Minhyun feel some sort of intimidation as Ren practically stared directly into his soul, "And what does referring to me looking like a girl mean? Girls can be quite tough too."

He quickly looks away from those judgemental eyes and mutters an apology. There was a moment of silence between the two before Ren speaks up again, "Don't you have to go home now?"

"My parents are on another business trip, it doesn't matter when I get home or not," Minhyun muttered under his breath hating how he was still stuck with someone like Ren.

"Okay, let's go eat dinner then."

Immediately Minhyun was confused as Ren stood up and pulled his headphones down to around his neck, only then realizing that he wasn't blasting music for a while now. Confused, he asked, "Excuse me?"

"Dinner. I'm hungry. Let's go." Ren stated bluntly.

"Why me? I'm not gonna pay if that's what you mean," Minhyun huffed indignantly.

"Well you're the one that agreed to listen to everything I say in return for help, right?"

And it was then that realization struck Minhyun and he lets out groan of frustration, not believing himself for answering without thinking that him finally speaking to him was too good to be true. He was about to deny against such a  thing when Ren interrupted him, "Unless you're the type to break promises." The androgynous boy made Minyun pause, such a sentence causing him to reminisce about something he'd rather not remember, gritting his teeth at such a memory, his action of pushing himself off of the bed being the agreement to such a thing.

* * *

"What do you wanna eat?" Ren asked as they walked through the cold streets.

"... I don't eat dinner that much," Minhyun murmured.

"Trying to slowly kill himself- noted." to which Minhyun glared at the ever so stoic boy.

"My ability to have an appetite died a long time ago, okay?"

"Well why else have I been giving you candy?" making Minhyun pause when hearing that.

 _Just what is he trying to do? He's so... weird... I'm not his responsibility or anything so he could just leave me to die..._ unconsciously, Minhyun was basically burning holes into the back of Ren's head with his stare before the latter stops and turns to him, asking, "How about doughnuts? You can't just survive on candy."

After following him to a cozy cafe nearby, as much as Minhyun hated to admit it, he was kinda hungry and the warm and fresh treat was something he needed for such a cold night. He took a bite of the doughnut, the treat practically melting in his mouth and washing away the taste of iron with the sweetness of vanilla and somewhere in him, he kind of missed such a thing before he winces as the food had brushed against a rather big and rugged cut on the inside of his cheek from his teeth scraping against his cheek when one of Seungcheol's lackies slid a punch across his cheek- the major reason as to why he tasted iron in the first place.

"Eat on the other side of your mouth."

Minhyun kind of forgot about Ren being with him until he heard his voice and looked up to the androgynous boy who was paying attention to stirring his milk tea with boba with his straw and those slim fingers with black painted finger nails with some having neon pink patterns and he looks down to the latter's doughnut where there was only a small bite on it.

"I thought you said that you were hungry..." Minhyun said in an absent-minded manner as he took another bite from his doughnut and chewing on the side where there wasn't a cut.

"I am." Ren answered simply before taking a sip of his milk tea.

He decided not to question the blond anymore and continued minding his own business. When he finished his doughnut, he saw those familiar manicured fingers push over that doughnut with a small bite in it, making him look over to Ren who was almost done with his milk tea.

"You said you were hungry..." Minhyun repeated.

"Not really." his answer changed.

Minhyun couldn't help but frown before he pushed the treat back over to Ren, "Why don't you eat it. You're the one who looks more like a twig than me."

"... You're kind."

At this point, Minhyun figured that maybe he'd never figure out why Ren acted like so.

To put it to simple terms, he was just... him...


	4. Promise

_"Why are you crying again?"_

_Worried tone._

_"B-B-Because...!"_

_Sobbing._

_"Hey, calm down. I won't be able to understand you if you keep crying..."_

_Panicking._

_"N-No one wants to be my friend...!"_

_Louder sobbing._

* * *

It felt like something thin yet sharp had pierced him as he twisted around in his sleep before he felt his pajama top go moist. Minhyun groaned before getting up and wincing, taking off his blanket to see that a deep crimson had soaked into his side.

 _Right, I was suppose to change my bandages..._ Minhyun sighed before getting up to turn off his phone before it went off. He cursed when a sharp pain went to his waist when he stood up and put his weight onto his hip. Throughout his morning preparing to get ready, he continue to mumble curses, not even bothering to grab any sort of breakfast before he was met with the sight of familiar blond hair.

"Wha...?" Minhyun was speechless, confused as to why- _how_  Ren was even here, standing right at his house with that same old stoic face.

"C'mon, let's go," Ren said, turning and signalling for Minhyun to follow him.

"... I thought yesterday was a one time thing," Minhyun stated coldly, putting up a defensive front, slowly closing and locking the door behind him. After all, he had to do that. He needed to do that.

"You agreed to listen to everything I said, remember?" Ren asked nonchalantly before holding up a brown paper bag that he kept hidden from Minhyun's sight before promptly shoving it into Minhyun's chest, the latter holding onto it on instinct as Ren lets go of the bag.

Minhyun blinked at the blond before looking down to the bag in a dumbfounded manner before opening the bag and being met with the sight of two old-fashioned doughnuts that were still warm and held that familiar sweet and warming scent. He looks back up to Ren, who says, "Eat those while we walk to school," before turning and beginning to walk.

He could have made a million complaints at the moment but when the androgynous boy stopped a couple meters away and stared at him, he knew that he had no other choice than to follow after him.

A promise was a promise after all.

* * *

The walk there was silent, a bit too awkward for Minhyun, glancing to the blond boy in front of him every now and then, noticing how those headphones that would usually blast music that could've made Ren deaf by now hanging around his neck instead.

 _Weird..._ Minhyun stuffed the last bit of his doughnut into his mouth before crumpling up the brown paper bag and shoving it into his bag to recycle later.

"Did you chew on the other side of your mouth?"

He realized that Ren suddenly spoke up without looking back before humming a quick, "M-hm," as his answer.

"That's good."

He continued to stare at the back of Ren's head, wondering if he could figure out how the blond's head worked. Why he was like this, why he was acting like this to Minhyun, just why. Minhyun couldn't help but feel a bit pissed off because it seemed like Ren knew how everything worked for Minhyun whereas he didn't know anything at all about Ren except for the fact that the latter liked sweet stuff. He didn't like the idea that the blond could possibly even know all of his weaknesses.

Ren suddenly stopped in his track when they reached the gate to their school before looking back slightly, "I...Is there something in my hair?"

 _Is he... embarrassed?_ Minhyun was surprised at the sight of faint red coloring his cheeks and how his voice was lower than usual.

"Eh~ You came earlier for a beating~."

On the inside, Minhyun cursed as he suddenly realized his grave mistake of mindlessly following Ren. He did his best not to show that he was afraid now that he knew quite well that they could possibly beat him to death. When their gazes flicker over to the blond boy in front of him, he had to admit that he was indeed worried about what they were thinking about doing.

"Yah this place isn't for girls," one of Seungcheol's lackies- Wonwoo if Minhyun bothered to remember correctly- stated with that deep voice of his, looking down on Ren.

"I'm not a girl. If you're that horny go find some other person to ask, but I doubt they'd even want to look at you," Ren had quickly returned to quicker and degraded the situation to something even worse than before as everyone who was eavesdropping was immediately quiet and wide-eyed with the situation, a few snickering escaping from here and there. Obviously, the blond provoked him as he raised his fist, aiming for a punch at his face when a hand came out and paused the punch.

"I don't wanna deal with this crap in the morning."

There was an irritated and threatening tone in his voice before Minhyun realized that it was Baekho, a loner student who was number one in their school's kendo team but unlike Minhyun, he was strong and no one dared to have contact with him with such an image.

Immediately, everyone cowers, even Seungcheol and his lackies as they slowly back away before running off, a proof of Baekho's infamous status. He turns and glares at Ren, making Minhyun fear even more for the latter's life before the kendo student lets out a sigh.

"You can't ever learn to keep your mouth shut," Baekho said in a tired manner.

"But you'd save me," Ren said with ease. Baekho's eyes narrowed at the androgynous boy's statement before he turns to look at Minhyun.

"He's with me. We're gonna stop by your practice today, by the way," Ren said as he grabbed Minhyun's wrist and pulled him along to the school building, leaving Baekho at the school gate.

"You... know him?" Minhyun asked, to which Ren shrugged nonchalantly, answering, "We're acquaintances, I guess. I bother him from time to time."

"Oh," was all that Minhyun could answer with before the blond opened the door to his classroom, everyone in the room pausing and looking over to them as the room went completely silent.

"What are you staring at?" the question from Ren made everyone turn away and try to awkwardly return to normal. The blond turns to Minhyun, asking, "Where do you sit?" and after he points to his seat at the back, he pulls him along before sitting in the empty desk besides his.

Minhyun suddenly realized how odd their situation was when he took his seat and Ren pulled up his headphones. He stated with narrowed eyes, "You're not in my class."

Ren only shrugged.


	5. Mannequin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick warning to this chapter: the word "slut" is said once in this chapter. Um, hopefully it's nothing to big of a deal for you guys QwQ (if it is, just tell me and I'll change the wording).

"Excuse me, ma'am... ma'am... Ma'am!"

Minhyun kept passing nervous glances to Ren, hoping that the blond would be able to hear the teacher beyond his headphones that blasted music. The teacher looked like he was getting angrier every time he was trying to gain Ren's attention, making Minhyun worry as to the end result since dealing with teachers was different from dealing with students. He quickly snapped out of it, realizing that he's been worrying about the androgynous boy too much lately when he wasn't suppose to and turned back to his notebook splayed out in front of him filled with doodles instead of notes.

"Hwang Minhyun," the stern voice of the teacher made Minhyun freeze before he looks up to the teacher who looked beyond angry with Ren. He grits his teeth as he said, "Would you _please_ tell the lady to take off her headphones."

He inwardly sighed before he reaches over and taps Ren on the shoulder, his classmates watching their interactions carefully as though they were caught up in a good K-drama starring that dumb loner kid and that arrogant and pretty girl. Ren turns to Minhyun, looking at him questioningly.

"Take off your headphones," Minhyun murmured nervously. He knew that the teacher was just about ready to throw something at the blond when he listened to Minhyun's murmur of a voice past his blasting music yet didn't bother with listening to the teacher's loud voice.

Ren doesn't bother to turn off his music as he reaches up to his headphones with those manicured nails to pull it to hang around his neck. Oblivious to the silent classroom, he asks, "Is something wrong?" as though they were casually talking.

At the casual tone, Minhyun couldn't help but let out a sigh before he subtly points to the teacher. Luckily Ren caught that and looked up to the teacher, who fumed, "Young lady, what are you doing at a charter school meant for boys  _and_ keeping your headphones on when the teacher is lecturing? Not to mention that you're breaking school dress codes with those flamboyant accessories along with dying your hair and painting your nails. What do you have to say for yourself, miss?"

In all honesty, he was surprised that Ren hasn't punched anyone for constantly mistaking him for a girl. Minhyun watches as Ren stands up from his seat before calmly walking over to the teacher. The blond pushes himself to a higher height to match the teacher before leaning over to the teacher's ear and covering his mouth with those slim hands.

The entire class watches in vague interest as to how the teacher's facial expression changes from angry, to surprise, to happy, and to nervous. When Ren backs off with that same expressionless face, the teacher stutters, "I-I-I'm sorry, R-Ren-ssi... Er- please go take your seat a-again..."

Everyone was shocked at the teacher becoming a stuttering mess for once, watching Ren strut back to his seat with the expressions of a gaping fish out of water. After Ren took his seat again, he turns to Minhyun before reaching out and pushing his chin up so that he wasn't gaping anymore.

"A fly will end up in your mouth if you keep it open like that," Ren stated simply with a slight tilt of the head before turning back and pulling his headphones up, making everyone else simultaneously turn back and close their mouths shut.

_What is up with him...?_

* * *

Everywhere Minhyun went, Ren followed with, causing everyone's attentions to be drawn to them thanks to Ren's uniqueness. He lets out a sigh as the blond continued to follow him to the music room even during lunch. He stops right at the entrance of the music room and turns to Ren, slightly irked by how nonchalant Ren seemed about everything and still sticking to him even though his face nearly got flattened by one of the most intimidating lacky of Seungcheol's.

"Don't... Don't you have any friends to hang around with? You can't possibly be following me around the school today," Minhyun asked, a bit of irritation being exposed in his tone to the blond.

"Baekho doesn't like it if I constantly follow him and the others don't hang out with me anywhere in public so I usually spend my time alone," Ren answered dully, pulling out a lollipop from the pocket of his trouser.

He wasn't sure why his eyebrow twitched slightly at hearing Baekho's name but he ignores it and continues to ask as he turns back to open the door of the music room, "But wouldn't you still follow him anyways?"

"He punched me in the face when I did."

Minhyun abruptly pauses at that before turning to Ren with a shocked face. Before any noise could come out of Minhyun's mouth, Ren said, "It left a bruise on my cheekbone and knocked me to the ground. It hurt. I stopped following him after that happened."

He was able to relax at that but it still bothered him, "Then why do you follow me then? How do you know that I won't run out of patience and knock you out too?"

"Because you're kind," and although his facial expression still didn't change, Minhyun somehow still felt the warmthness meant for him. He wasn't sure if it was because of Ren's eyes reflecting some sort of emotion, that quick twitch to the corner of Ren's mouth, the memory of the cozy atmosphere with the scent of grounded coffee and freshly baked doughnuts, or maybe he was blushing from the compliment.

He wasn't sure, but he felt the warmth.

Minhyun forces himself to snap out of the daze before he asks, "So are you following me to spite Baekho?" and only when the sentence came out did he realize how bitter his sentence came out as instead an innocent question.

"No. I-"

"Or maybe because I'm a new toy for you to play around with, or maybe because you're waiting to stab me in the back just lik-" the words got caught in his throat as he realized that he went off in a tangent using that bitter and spiteful tone that didn't suit his soft voice. Minhyun shuts his mouth closed, hating how petty he was even after all these years. He hated how Ren was able to draw out such childish moments in him at any given moment.

Ren didn't show any emotion even when Minhyun's words had the underlying message implying that Ren was a 'petty ex looking for revenge', or that he was a 'slut', or that he was a 'betrayer'. He lacked any emotions appearing. He simply didn't show anything, as though he was just a mannequin who lacked the ability to comprehend any human emotion possible, as though he still had his music blasting into his ears when in reality he has pulled his headphones down and turned off his music, leaving the hallway more silent than Minhyun was comfortable with.

He hated it.

"I...!"

'I' what? He didn't know.

Apologizing was too late by now. His heart and throat clamped down in response, making him draw in shaky breaths. Minhyun swallowed harshly as to try to get rid of the clamping, his voice hoarse as he slowly says, "You... You should go..."

He didn't wait for Ren's response as he turns to the music room and opens the door, entering without watching out to let the blond in. When he took the steps into his "haven" and closed the door shut without any problems, he feels like he's going crazy as he doesn't even try to walk over to the piano where dried blood stained the floor around the legs of the piano and its chair.

Minhyun simply slams his back to the wall before sliding down to sit and lets out a groan of frustration, not even bothering to react to the fact that it stung the bruises and cuts on his back. His heart felt more heavy than his body did.


	6. Art

In the end, Minhyun didn't touch the piano that allowed him to relax. He just sat there, staring at the piano made of wood covered with black paint that was chipped off from age, too many thoughts running through his mind for even him to comprehend what he was thinking. A sigh escapes his mouth as he figured that it was useless to keep sitting there for the entirety of lunch so he pushed himself back up only to feel the fabric of his uniform sticking to his side. He reaches over to touch it before wincing and realizing that his bandages unravelled as the end of it was peeking out from underneath of his dress shirt.

He sighs again as he knew that he needed to go to the nurse's office to change his bandages; however, when Minhyun opens the door, he didn't expect to smell nail polish and hear muffled music, looking to the side of the entrance to see that Ren was sitting there, painting his nails, his headphones on.

"Wha...?" the question died in his throat as he didn't comprehend as to why the blond was here, just painting his nails as though he was at home or something.

"The paint was chipping off," Ren stated, keeping his gaze on his nails before blowing at it after the last stroke of black. The blond didn't wait for him to say anything, simply putting the brush back into its container, screwing it shut, and stuffing it into his pocket before pushing himself to stand up.

Minhyun wavers as he wonders what could possibly be going through his mind before slowly turning to head to the direction of the nurse's office, listening to the blasting yet muffled music behind him.

He didn't understand.

Every now and then, he had- no, _needed_ to glance back, check for anything but every glance was only the same image: white headphones on blond hair pulled into a short ponytail with a stoic face staring at the ground Minhyun stepped on.

He couldn't deal with the fact that Ren continued to follow him after that outburst so he had to slow to a stop right before the door to the nurse's office and turned to the blond, who meets his gaze to question him. Minhyun gestures to his head for Ren to take off his headphones, the latter doing so and turning off his blasting music. The taller took in a deep breath before asking, "Why?"

"'Why' what?" Ren tilted his head, an innocent gesture even with that non-expressive face.

At that, his thoughts had to calm down before he could settle on a single question that pushed him more.

"Why aren't you hurt?"

The blond blinked at him with those large eyes before looking down and reaching out to grab Minhyun's hand, making him jolt in surprise at the sudden contact. His slim fingers held Minhyun's bandaged hand softly, pull at it before laying it firmly against the blond's left-side of his chest. Minhyun didn't understand, his eyebrows scrunching up in confusion as he stared at those freshly painted fingernails that held his hand before realizing something.

Ren's heartbeat.

Contrary to his stoic expression, his heart was beating quickly to the point that Minhyun thought of music sheets that lacked a bpm on it for some reason. Either way, his heart was beating quicker than the average heartbeat.

Ren was anxious.

Slowly, Ren lets go of his already light grip, leaving Minhyun to slowly retract his hand in response. There was a moment of silence before Minhyun opened his mouth to say something only to be interrupted by Ren, "Let's head inside to wash your cut and change your bandages. Your blood is starting to stain your shirt."

* * *

The school day went oddly quicker than normal for Minhyun, as though he was experiencing a 'normal' life for once; well, as normal as he can get what with Ren still following him around and such. Still, even with the odd blond, his life felt at peace for once.

"We're going to Baekho."

It took a moment for that to register into Minhyun's head before his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion and he looks up from his desk to Ren, who unwrapped a a piece of gum and threw it into his mouth. The blond chewed and blew a bubble to pop before answering his confused stare, "I said it this morning that we would go to his practice today, remember?"

"Oh..." was all that Minhyun could answer with.

After packing up, he reluctantly followed Ren outside of the main school building where most classes were held, making the excuse somewhere in his mind that if he were to ditch the androgynous boy then he would just arrive at his house again. He watched Ren from behind, how even as he wasn't even staring at his face the blond's aura oozed with pride what with those confident strides in his walk with those bright reddish-pink shoes. Funny how his aura screamed 'prideful' yet his face would show nothing.

"Take off your shoes before you enter or else Baekho will yet at you." at those words, Minhyun realized that they reached a traditional wooden building meant for the more Korean-original activities. He followed Ren in taking off his shoes and placing them by a pair of worn out sneakers that were already on the mat outside.

Ren slid open the door, the sound of a sword being swung quickly into the air echoing throughout the large and empty building that was covered by blue safety mats. When Minhyun had finally walked into the building, the first thing he noticed was the back of Baekho in a traditional fighting outfit fit for kendo, swinging a bamboo sword in precise movements, the art of fighting seeming almost elegant for a moment.

"What are you doing here?" Baekho turned and asked curtly, ruining that so-called moment of elegance.

"I told you this morning," Ren stated simply before blowing another bubble with his gum to pop.

Baekho grimaced at the blond, sparing a glance (maybe a glare) to Minhyun, who jolted and looked away before he could meet gazes with the intimidating student. In a tired manner, Baekho states, "Make it quick."

"Does a couple weeks count as quick?"

"Ugh, I should've known better."

"I mean I'm guessing it's gonna take a couple of weeks. I just need you to train Minhyun."

At that, Minhyun turned back and blurted out, "Excuse me?!" and only received a raised hand from Ren, signalling him to keep quiet and pay attention to Baekho instead. He looks back and sees how the intimidating student looks troubled at first, eyebrows scrunched up in thought as he scratches the back of his neck with the hand that didn't hold his bamboo sword before letting out a sigh, "Fine." Baekho then proceeded to toss his sword over to the side before changing his position to the starting position for taekwondo and facing Minhyun, "Show me what you got so far."

"Oh yeah, he's injured already, so you're gonna have to wait for a few days," this would probably be the only time that Minhyun was this grateful for Ren's presence.

Baekho only sighed again in response as he dropped his pose, "You really know how to push people's patience," and Ren nonchalantly shrugged, as though he wasn't talking to the most intimidating student of the school campus.

"That's all." Ren ended their conversation easily after blowing another bubble to pop as he began to head to the door, signalling with his hand with nails that now had dry nail polish for Minhyun to follow him. He hesitated when he saw that Baekho looked like he wanted to voice out something but held back, turning his back away from the two to pick up his bamboo sword and continuing to swing at his imaginary opponent. Minhyun slowly turned away, following after Ren, who was currently putting on his shoes.

"Have you eaten yet?" the androgynous boy asked when Minhyun joined him after closing the door behind him to put on his shoes.

"No," he answered shortly, a meal not really being the thing on his mind right now. No, it was about a dozen things buzzing around his head waiting to be spoken out loud. Those thoughts stopped buzzing when the color of bright sky blue foil with gold accents appeared in his vision, blocking the sight of his shoes. He looked up a little bit, seeing that it was actually a lollipop.

"I don't have any more money on me."

Minhyun finally lets out a sigh he didn't know that he was holding back, reaching up to push the lollipop back towards Ren, "My appetite isn't really up for anything," before reaching to tie his shoelaces. He figured that their conversation was over before he was abruptly stopped with what the blond boy said next.

"Don't be dumb. You need to eat."

His eye twitched in annoyance at hearing the first sentence, looking up to glare at that stoic face, "Excuse me?"

"You need food to heal better," Ren stated in that monotone voice.

"What, so Baekho can beat my butt quicker?"

"Do I need you to feel my heart again?" and Minhyun couldn't help but flinch and look away at the reminder that he had no reason to act as pissed off as he was right now. He took a deep breath to calm himself before he did something that he would regret again. Ren waved the lollipop in front of his face, making Minhyun grumble under his breath as he reaches out and takes the lollipop without hesitation.


	7. Purple

"Should I even question why you're here anymore?" so was the first sentence that left Minhyun's mouth once he opened the door to the sight of blond hair greeting his sights yet again. He thinks that maybe he should just be glad that the blond didn't pop up at any time during the weekend that passed by too quickly for Minhyun. When Ren shrugs before holding out a paper bag with the scent of coffee, Minhyun lets out a sigh as he takes the bag before closing the door to his house behind him. As he opens the bag to take the doughnut out, he notices that it was a warm brown instead of a honey gold color.

"Why chocolate?" he looks over to the androgynous male who was for once walking by his side instead of leading or following him. Ren glances over, saying, "I thought that maybe you would want a different flavor."

 _'Different'..._ Minhyun didn't mind the change in doughnut because after all, it was only a pastry- the only food he'd be willing to eat at this point in his life. As a pastry, it would just be sweet and warm either way, only a small, insignificant change.

If it was small and insignificant though, why did he take notice?

Minhyun noticed how when Ren reached up to put his headphones over his head, his black nails now had small purple details like how his pinky's nail had stripes whereas his middle finger's nail had a large star in the center. When those small details were next to his face with those headphones, there was a small amount of eyeliner at the corner of his eyes, giving a more feminine look to his already androgynous appearance.

"Why purple?" the words left his mouth without a second thought just like at his house.

"I just wanted a different color." Those words left the blond's mouth with such ease and indifference as he reaches for his phone to play a playlist.

He didn't understand.

"Isn't pink your thing though?"

"Purple's a nice color too."

Eventually he sighed, knowing that this conversation won't end with anything useful as per usual. Minhyun looks back to his doughnut before finally taking a bite out of it. The doughnut tasted like chocolate as expected and it was a bit sweeter than the old-fashioned ones. Oddly enough, he liked the chocolate one a bit better.

Purple was a different opinion.

* * *

They got to school early again as Minhyun realized by the time they got to campus; however, he wasn't greeted by Seungcheol and his lackies. Yelling and thumps were coming from the other side of school. He figured that another crowd had built from yet another fight breaking out but apparently it was different as a disheveled looking boy ran up to Ren, his face showing an expression for once.

Surprise.

The boy clung onto Ren's arm, pleading, "Ren, please help! JR got into another fight and he won but he won't stop!" The androgynous boy didn't wait for another reply and ran to the crowd with the boy following after him, leaving Minhyun to chase at his own pace. The three squeezed through the crowd to be met up front with the sight of a bruised familiar boy fighting Seungcheol, who was on his back, weakly trying to hold off the former's fist before it made his lip bleed more.

It didn't make sense to Minhyun when he saw how troubled Ren looked at the fight- if anything, shouldn't the blond be completely emotionless at the moment? He wondered why this JR guy had such an impact on Ren.

"Jonghyun..." the blond whispered, and it was enough to stop JR- or Jonghyun- like a spell as he looks up to Ren with surprised eyes, the crowd stopping and staring at the new found androgynous boy too. The crowd and Seungcheol and his lackies only dispersed when Jonghyun got up and spared a glare to everyone, warning them to not even bother with them.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Jonghyun's eyes suddenly narrowed as he practically hissed those words. The question from before rose in Minhyun's head again as he saw how Ren looked away, as though ashamed for his own presence.

"Jonghyun, please don't get angry at Ren again. I was the one who brought him..." the boy from before spoke up carefully.

"Doyoon, I was just trying to get them for hurting you," Jonghyun's eyes softened at the sight of Doyoon, an obvious bias for the latter. A weak 'but...' escaped from Doyoon's mouth that went unnoticed by Jonghyun as he turns to glare at Ren and Minhyun.

Minhyun's gaze drifts back to the blond who was quiet for a different reason. Again, it was odd to see Ren's slight change in presence.  _Maybe it's because of the purple?_ Lightly, he taps on Ren's arm, causing the latter to look up to him.

"Do you mind explaining the situation?" Minhyun asked softly, knowing very well how Jonghyun was still glaring at them whereas Doyoon was staring worriedly at them.

"He's Kim Jonghyun and that's Jang Doyoon. They're in the class next to our's," Ren explained easily, almost masking how differently he was acting. He watches how Ren takes a small breath, "This is Hwang Minhyun."

"Don't care," Jonghyun doesn't bother to hide his scoff, making Doyoon panic. The bruised boy turns and begins walking over to the school's main building. Doyoon quickly explains, "R-Ren, I'm sure that he cares for you too. A-After all, it was you yesterday who... n-never mind, see you later..." he ends weakly before chasing after Jonghyun.

 _What was he going on about? What did Ren do yesterday on the weekend? Is that why he didn't appear?_ Minhyun didn't deny that he was curious now with what happened to the androgynous boy that included Jonghyun. He was more-so curious as to what their relationship was since the latter seemed to have such an affect on the usually confident and stoic Ren.

Silently, Ren turned and started heading towards the gate, baffling Minhyun as he had to now hold a debate with himself whether to follow him or head to class. On instinct, he took a step in the gate's direction before he stopped at Ren's voice.

"You shouldn't follow me," the blond stated once he stopped at the gates before continuing to walk. The sight of that platinum blond hair and white headphones with bright neon pink details disappearing was too odd for him.

The familiar feeling of frustration returned to Minhyun soon enough, letting out a harsh sigh before running once the bell rang to signal for class to start.


	8. Honey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you almost forget that you have an AO3 account ovo"

Baekho watches hums lowly, his bag swung over his shoulder casually. This was honestly the only time that he could relax before he was stuck in that hell hole. A familiar blur of blond hair passes by him relatively quickly, causing him to stop and turn, being met with the familiar sight of a school uniform, bright pink-red shoes, and a blond ponytail. By habit, he was close to yelling at him before his voice got caught in his throat.

He takes in a deep breath in and out, opening his eyes to see that he disappeared from his line of sight. Baekho isn't quite sure whether he feels regretful of not yelling at him or not, and in some ways, he does. Another blur passes by him, breathing heavily as he pushes his limits.

Right there, he wonders what in the world could have gotten into those two.

* * *

"Ren, you are the absolute worst!" Minhyun shouted, pausing to lean on the wall as he tries to breath better. He saw how Ren stopped at that before crossing the streets along with the crowd that gave confused glances to him.

The brunet would have cursed out loud if he saw that blond ponytail follow with the moving crowd but luckily that didn't happen. The androgynous boy stood in place rigidly, people walking around him to reach their destination. Ever so quietly, he hears, "I told you that you shouldn't follow me." and Minhyun did take a moment to pause. His realization of the situation he has just thrown himself into does puzzle him.

What the hell was he thinking chasing after Ren in the first place?

"Well- I- he- after-... You said I 'shouldn't' follow you, not necessarily I 'couldn't' follow you." Minhyun coughed as to cover the fact that he was embarrassed to the point that he couldn't say a coherent sentence at first. It was amazing how so little words could affect him so much.

"... Right." The light turned red as the two wait in silence, the beeping of the timer somewhat filling the void of noises.

Minhyun thought that he could have taken a better time to rest before he see Ren suddenly turn and start walking down the other street. He forces himself to surpress a groan, followng after Ren even if he is still out of breath. The street was unfamiliar as far as Minhyun was concerned, starting from big company named buildings to more family-owned buildings.

By then, Minhyun grew a bit tired with the silence, eventually saying out loud, "Listen, I understand that you're a bit... moody but where are you-" Ren abruptly takes a sharp turn into a store with its doors wide open. He pauses for a moment, wondering yet again what in the world is he doing before shaking the thought away, following the blond into the store that was full of bright colored wrappers.

He wondered as to what time it was as he craved for a doughnut.

"Oh, you brought a friend?" he looks over to the counter and see a woman by the counter with a short and curly bob cut. From the other side of the store, Ren doesn't turn as he browses through the candy containers, responding, "Noona, do you not have any more lollipops?"

"Ah, now that you say that, a mother did come here and bought it in bulk. I'll go check in the back for any more," she turns and enters a room to which was presumably the back. After that was settled, Minhyun heads over to Ren, who's grabbing a handful of those traditionnel bonbons that Minhyun became so familiar with.

"Do you only eat sweets all day? Your teeth are gonna rot you know," Minhyun voiced, unimpressed with how much candy Ren was putting into a small, pink basket that the store supplied.

"So are your's," was the quick answer as Ren heads over to the counter, Minhyun following with.

 _Sassing me. Nothing new here._ Minhyun resists the urge to scoff, watching how Ren grabs multiple gum packs too even when they just got to the counter. He chooses to sigh instead, seeing how Ren is tapping a manicured finger against his lip while scanning the counter. "If you're thinking of getting even more then I'm going to force you to leave some of that behind."

"There's no harm in grabbing these," he saw him reach out to grab two thin sticks of honey.

"You're gonna overdose on sugar."

"Don't worry about it."

"Are you really only going to eat sweets for the rest of your life?"

"I could ask the same to you."

Before Minhyun could retort, the woman finally comes back, a few lollipops in her hand, "Sorry for the wait. Raina-unnie was still wrapping a fresh batch. Will five do for now?" Ren answers with a short 'yeah', reaching into his pockets to take out some loose amount of money as the woman- Nana as Minhyun could read from her name tag- cashed in the candy in the basket.

"Are you really going to let him buy all of this?" Minhyun couldn't help but ask.

Nana blinks at him before giving a small smile, "It's okay. I know that a good majority of this stuff is just stocking to last a month or two. I also know that a majority of this he doesn't eat all by himself either." It was only then that it clicked in Minhyun's head, turning to Ren who is receiving his change from Nana.

"Idiot."

Minhyun tries his best to pretend that he isn't embarrassed from being so slow.

* * *

They sat at the bench outside, Minhyun's school bag and Ren's candy bag filling the space between them and a tree behind them serving them a good amount of shade. Ren takes two familiar sticks of honey out of his bag to give one to Minhyun, who excepts it quietly. He spares a glance back to Ren, who rips the top of the stick off and proceeds to suck on the stick. He looks back to his own and mimicks the blond's actions.

It was sweet but not overwhelmingly sweet.

"You'll probably need to talk to your parents when you get home." Minhyun stops and looks over to Ren, who isn't looking at him. He questions, "Why?" and at that, Ren then clarifies, "Because you ditched school today and the school is going to call your parents about it."

It took Minhyun a few minutes before it clicked in his head. He immediately groans and his posture slumps, a hand raised to hit himself on the forehead. "Did I seriously ditch school to go to a candy store?"

"Yup." and he shoots a glare to Ren, not appreciating the nonchalance at the moment.

"Remind me why I ditched again?" Minhyun dares the blond.

"Because you're kind."

The response shocked Minhyun, not expecting that. As an attempt to cover his brief moment of shock he mumbles, "I don't understand." Ren finally turns to meet Minhyun's gaze and he gives a slight shrug, "You don't have to."

They share a moment of eye contact, Ren's eyes still showing that same indifference but even then, Minhyun still tries to decipher some type of hint to what he means nonetheless. His point of focus changes from those dark brown irises to his eyeliner before realizing something. Maybe it was the stark contrast between the tree shade and the sunlight screwing with his perception, but he is vaguely able to make out a faint purple tone near Ren's eyebrow, making his face asymmetrical upon closer view. Minhyun reaches up and his thumb barely brushed against that area.

Ren immediately flinches away from the touch. Minhyun flinched back on instinct, confused when Ren covers that area of his face before getting up and walking quickly back into the store, leaving him behind on the bench.


	9. Nothing

"Minhyun-ah have you been doing well?"

"I've been fine, don't worry about it."

"Okay, but next time if you have a severe allergic reaction do you mind calling us first? We can take time out of our schedule to call the school about it instead of you having to ditch."

"... It's fine. I mean, it's called a 'business trip' after all, which you're dedicating your time to work."

"Well, okay, if you say so, honey."

His grip on the phone tightens slightly.

"I love you."

"Yeah, bye."

*Click*

Minhyun lets out a sigh he didn't realize that he was holding in. He falls back onto his bed, his gaze wandering over to his desk before he turns onto his side and away from the desk. He lays there, staring at the wall of his bedroom for a moment, his mind blanking out on him for once from staring at the empty wall. With a huff of impatience, he gets up to change his clothes and bandages to prepare for bed. When he slips his blazer off, something small clinks against the floor.

He looks down to the floor and sees a lollipop now cracked and broken inside it's transparent wrapper with yellow stripes.

* * *

_"If you could become anything in the world, what would you want to be?"_

_A hum of thinking._

_"I'd be a dragon! Those are cool!"_

_Soft giggling._

_"Then I'll be a dragon too."_

_Arrogant scoff._

_They look up._

_"Adults should stop asking what kids want to be and ask about what problems they want to solve first."_

_Indignant harrumph._

_"Hyung, there's no way any kid wants to do that."_

_Lazy glare._

_"Oh please, everyone is the same, no matter the age."_

* * *

He woke up to his alarm, sluggishly pushing himself up. Minhyun sits there for a moment, letting himself take a deep breath before heading to the bathroom to get ready. Everything feels mechanical as he slowly paces himself around the house.

When he opens the door, something is wrong.

* * *

_Forget about it,_ was the mantra that he was constantly repeating in his head, zoning out from any surroundings in front of him. He tries to clear his mind at first before he feels a tug against the back of his shirt, making him turn around to an unfamiliar face.

"You ~~~~ ~~~~~ to ~~~ ~~~~ the ~~~~," the stranger says in what Minhyun could barely pick up as English but even realizing that it was English served no purpose in him trying to understand what the boy had just said. The stranger leaves luckily before Minhyun could say something that would probably make him look dumb in front of the foreigner.

He lets out a small sigh and turns before nearly flinching backwards at being met with the sight of a tree. Once he walks around the tree that obscured his vision, it clicks in his head that the foreigner had pulled him to stop before he rammed into the tree, making him silently thank the foreigner.

"Uh-"

Minhyun nearly lets out a curse from having to stop yet again before he turns and is met with the sight of a nervous looking Doyoon and an indignant looking Jonghyun, a scabbed over scratch underneath his eye. He wonders what the two could possibly want with him, the nobody, the dummy to bullies, out all of the people possible.

"M-Minhyun-ssi...?" Doyoon asks awkwardly, to which Minhyun nods at the question. The former stutters before asking, "Do you happen to know where Ren is? Um- because you guys are friends... right?"

Friends?

Unintentionally, his eyes narrow and the venomous tone with the word, "' _Excuse me_ '?" leave his mouth. He quickly found himself in a familiar situation as Jonhyun grabs the collar of his shirt, hissing, "Hey, watch your tone."

"A-Ah, Jonghyun, please calm down, you're attracting a crowd and if he finds out then-" Doyoon managed to persuade said boy somehow as he abruptly lets go of Minhyun before walking off. Doyoon bowed with a quick apology before chasing after Jonghyun yet again.

 _Honestly why does Doyoon even hang out with that Jonghyun dude..._ Minhyun resists the temptation to scoff. He starts heading for his classroom before he feels a sudden jerk at his shirt collar. Naturally, he turns to yell at whichever jerk dragged him back but his voice and anger got caught in his throat once he meets the taunting yet furious gazes of Seungcheol and his lackies.

* * *

He stares up at the sky, wondering when is the last time he's been left behind feeling sore all over, dirt and blood clinging to his uniform. Although the pain is insufferable, he adjusts his arm to cover his eyes from the blue sky, wanting to blear its brightness that others enjoy too much.

And he just lays there. There's the random thought that passes by about when some adult is going to find him before dragging his beaten body to the office because he was ditching class and it was against the rules- but the thought flees as quickly as it came with a scoff. Like an adult in this campus would care enough to properly patrol the area for any hooligans not attending classes, that enough is apparent as much as he knows before he properly met-

 _Stupid._ odd how his mind worked in a loop as he's stuck repeating the mantra in his head. He counts with an imaginary clock, waiting for such thoughts to disappear yet again.

Minhyun feels a nudge to his side, not only making him his in pain as a new bruise formed there but also cuss and glare at whoever decided to nudge at him. He feels himself freeze at the sight of Baekho, who has an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, so you're not a corpse."

"No duh Sherlock," Minhyun huffs.

"Are you gonna just continue to bleed out onto the grass? 'Cause I'd rather you not since I lay here during lessons so can you not," Baekho is very blunt and straightforward with his words and intents, something that Minhyun appreciates a little bit considering the people he's been in the presence of lately.

He lays there silently for a moment, realizing that the wound on his side obviously opened in an unceremonious manner. Minhyun ponders a bit before he lets out a sigh, "Can't move. Everything hurts."

They stare at each other for a bit before Baekho lets out a sigh of his own. Baekho asks but the question ends up as a statement.

"Why is everything related to _him_ a pain in the butt."


End file.
